Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of December 5, 2011

News from Across the USM Campuses

Professor creates sustainable energy source: Develops high-tech fuel cell to power cars, houses, other buildings (By Claire Saravia, The Diamondback Online, 12/4/11)

Progam aids literacy in the sciences (By Marlyn Barrett, DelMarVaNow.com, 12/1/11) [The van was donated to the school system by Salisbury University]

Commentary: Chicken farmers' side needs to be heard (By Richard F. Colburn, The Baltimore Sun, 11/29/11) [Case involves University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic

State of Maryland News

Maryland Begins Search for Green Ribbon Schools: New Federal Program Spotlights Schools With Top Environmental Records (Maryland State Department of Education News Release, 12/5/11)

Clearing the Air About the "Job Killer" Myth (NPR/ WYPR - Midday with Dan Rodericks, 11/30/11)

Bay foundation: Video shows fracking sites polluting air (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 11/30/11)

New farm nutrient rules pulled back (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 11/29/11)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

• Practices
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• Presentations
• Climate Change Definitions
• Facilities Master Planning
• Statewide Sustainability Efforts
• ACUPCC National Benchmarking
• Useful Links and References

Obama Is Days Away From Killing Talks on a Climate Deal? (By Joss Garman, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 12/4/11)

Koch-Fueled Denial Backfires: Independents, Other Republicans Split With Tea-Party Extremists on Global Warming (By Joe Romm, Think Progress - Climate Progress Blog, 12/2/11)

Gas Company That Contaminated 18 Wells Through Fracking Refuses To Continue Providing Clean Water To Residents (By Tanya Somanader, Think Progress - Green Blog, 12/2/11)

Hard Plastic Bottles, Reborn as a Bridge (By Leslie Kaufman, The New York Times - Environment, 12/2/11)

Riot Police Block Most Affected by Climate Change from Entering Climate Conference (By Alexander Joe and Marlowe Hood, Agence France Presse as reported by CommonDreams.org, 12/2/11)

Newt Gingrich Doubts Global Warming: 'I Believe We Don't Know' (By Luke Johnson, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 12/1/11)

What Killed Dunkard Creek? Residents in Pennsylvania and West Virginia Say Fracking (By Adam Federman, Earth Island Journal as reported by CommonDreams.org, 12/1/11)

Durban Climate Change Conference: US refusal to negotiate carbon emissions cuts risks derailing summit - US refusal to negotiate legally-binding carbon emissions cuts risks derailing a UN summit convened to tackle climate change, environmental groups have warned in a letter to Hillary Clinton. (By Aislinn Laing, Durban and Louise Gray, The [UK] Telegraph, 11/30/11)

Report: Bankrolling Climate Change (BankTrack.org, 11/30/11)

Are freeways doomed? Several cities are tearing down highways, creating bold new public spaces -- and building a future without cars (By Will Doig, Salon.com, 11/30/11)

Durban Climate Change Conference: 13 of world's hottest years on record have been in last 15 years - Thirteen of the world's hottest years on record have all occurred in the past 15 years and Arctic ice levels were this year the thinnest they have ever been, scientists have warned. (By Aislinn Laing, The [UK] Telegraph, 11/30/11)

Groups frame climate as a moral cause (By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post - National, 11/30/11)

Thawing Permafrost Vents Gases To Worsen Global Warming (By Seth Borenstein, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 11/30/11)

Coal study names top 20 'climate killer' banks: JP Morgan Chase tops list of institutions that have financed coal-mining and coal-fired energy generation (By Fiona Harvey, The [UK] Guardian, 11/30/11)

Climate change conference lures no congressmen (By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post - National, 11/30/11)

Will the Lights Stay On in Texas and New England? (By Matthew L. Wald, The New York Times - Environment, 11/28/11)